Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

The changes happening in Jiangnan have not yet affected the imperial court.

As April arrived, the imperial examination was finally held.

The scale of this imperial examination was unprecedented. Eight hundred candidates from various subjects were eligible to participate in the palace examination.

With so many people, the Hall of Supreme Harmony and its two side wings couldn't accommodate them all. In the end, following the imperial gate ceremony, they were arranged to take the exam in the open space of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Each student was given a desk, a cushion, and a support, and knelt on it to answer questions.

The exam questions, unsurprisingly, were related to the Liaodong Campaign, as well as topics such as the joint governance of the emperor, his subjects, and the people, and finance and economics.

Each candidate could choose one of the options and write a policy essay.

Officials from the Court of State Ceremonial read the questions aloud, while officials from the Ministry of Rites distributed the questions to the candidates.

"The Emperor, by the Will of Heaven, decrees:
Those who shared the rule of the world with the Zhou emperor were nobles.

Those who shared the rule of the empire with the Qin and Han dynasties were meritorious officials.

Those who shared the rule of the empire with the Sui and Tang dynasties were powerful clans.

Those who shared the rule of the empire with the two Song dynasties were scholar-officials.

Now I wish to govern the world together with my subjects. What advice do you gentlemen have for me?

"It is also said: The Eastern barbarians were originally barbarians, with a small territory and few people. Once they raised troops and invaded Shun, the Three Hans did not defend themselves. What is the reason for this?"

We must now deploy heavy troops to defend against the enemy. If the enemy is not eliminated, the troops cannot be withdrawn, and the pay cannot be reduced.

Now that we wish to annihilate the enemy and restore our territory, what strategy can be effective?

"Furthermore, it is said that the shortage of funds and grain is a matter of national importance, and those who speak out do not consider the national economy and always want to reduce it."

The people are the foundation of the state. How could the court not know this and care for them? But how can it possibly both care for the people and support the army?
The land reclamation and salt administration system was indeed a source of revenue, yet despite repeated revisions and admonitions, it proved ineffective. Why is this?

"You scholars have long been attentive to worldly affairs; you may choose a topic and answer without reservation. I will personally review your answers."

All three topics are major issues of concern to both the government and the public.

The candidates, upon seeing the examination questions, began to ponder deeply.

Those who are good at interpreting the scriptures will naturally choose to answer the first question.

However, since the emperor, his subjects, and the people had already held an essay contest last year, it would be difficult to stand out in the palace examination if one's writing was not good enough. Most of those who paid attention to border affairs chose the second question.

Most of the candidates who passed the Ming Suan Ke exam chose the third question, as they needed to demonstrate their financial and economic talents.

Zhang Pu was the top scholar in the imperial examination, both in the classics and the mathematics section, but after careful consideration, he ultimately chose the second question.

After all, there have been far too many articles on the idea of ​​a monarch, his subjects, and the people jointly governing the country. If he doesn't write well enough on this topic, his becoming the top scholar will inevitably be met with skepticism.

However, choosing the third option also has its drawbacks. It makes one vulnerable to being perceived as an economic expert and potentially employed in the Ministry of Revenue.

Aspiring to become a prime minister, he naturally didn't want to limit himself. Besides, being from Suzhou, he was simply not qualified to be the Minister of Revenue.

Given the emperor's emphasis on border affairs, even the chief minister, who was not skilled in border matters, had to step aside during wartime. Zhang Pu decided to demonstrate his abilities in border affairs so that the emperor would not treat him entirely as a civil official.

However, when writing strategies, one inevitably faces criticisms regarding the flaws in the plans formulated by the Privy Council members.

Finally, starting from a point the emperor had raised the previous year, he penned a magnificent essay:
Your subject replied:
Your servant has heard the Han general Chen Tang say: "The Hu soldiers are five to one Han soldier. Why? Because their weapons are blunt and their bows and crossbows are ineffective. Now I hear they have acquired some of the Han's skills, yet they are still three to one."

How did the situation change from one Han Chinese being able to fight against five barbarian tribes to one Han Chinese being able to fight against three barbarian tribes?
This is the harm caused by the leakage of iron technology during the Iron Age...

Starting from the changes in combat strength between the Han and Hu peoples, this paper points out the dangers of the leakage of iron technology during the Iron Age.

The text argues that the Ming dynasty's blockade of iron tools from the grasslands weakened the region, highlighting the difficulty in defeating the Jurchens (Manchus) stemmed from their acquisition of Ming technology left behind in Liaodong. Therefore, it concludes that the blockade must be strengthened, and even targeted sabotage necessary.

In this era of steel, steel technology and coal and iron technology should be kept strictly confidential to prevent foreign powers from using high-quality steel to manufacture weapons.

At the same time, since the military has entered the firearms age, it is necessary to strictly limit the leakage of firearms technology to prevent it from being learned by foreign powers...

This article starts with weapons technology, but it is not limited to technology; it also discusses systems such as secrecy.

It is suggested that the court sell weapons of different grades and quantities to different vassal states according to their status as inner and outer vassal states, and establish a ratio for the steel production of each country, in order to prevent powerful rebellious foreign barbarians like the Jurchens from emerging.

This unique and insightful approach impressed Zhu Youjian, who immediately applauded it.
"Zhang Tianru has become a talent!" "This is the writing of a prime minister!"

He was immediately named the top scholar, and his disciple Wu Weiye was named the third-ranking scholar.

The second-place pick was a northerner, Zuo Maodi, from Shandong.

This man was the top scholar in the Ming Dynasty's legal examinations and also passed the imperial examinations. Because he passed both examinations, he was ranked ahead of Wu Weiye by Zhu Youjian.

As for Zhang Zhengchen, a disciple of Liu Zongzhou whom Zhu Youjian greatly admired, because he was a southerner like Zhang Pu and Wu Weiye, even though Zhu Youjian appreciated him, he was only ranked in the second class. He wasn't even mentioned in the imperial examinations to avoid criticism of Liu Zongzhou.

After this result was announced, people from both the government and the public exclaimed in celebration:

Since Shang Lu, the Ming Dynasty has once again produced a top scholar who achieved the highest honors in all three levels of the imperial examinations.

Moreover, he won all three titles in a row without any obstacles in between.

Such an auspicious omen should naturally be celebrated by the whole nation.

The tension brought about by the Liaodong war has dissipated somewhat.

Zhang Pu's reputation as a "literary star" grew even stronger.

Even his disciples were all top scholars.

This made Zhang Pu's residence a bustling hub of activity, with everyone believing he possessed the qualities of a prime minister. He might even become a meritorious official like Shang Lu—

For civil officials, achieving the highest honors in all three levels of the imperial examinations was a tremendous advantage. Not only did they gain entry into the Hanlin Academy without having to pass the preliminary examinations, but they also had a greater chance of success in other matters.

For example, Shang Lu's achievements were not particularly outstanding among the meritorious officials of the Purple Pavilion, and no one would even object to him being listed as a virtuous official of the Purple Pavilion. However, no civil official ever questioned his qualifications as a meritorious official of the Purple Pavilion, the reason for which was that he achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations.

Under the praise of the crowd, Zhang Pu became somewhat conceited.

His mindset reached its peak, especially after being granted the imperial privilege of parading through the streets and riding a tall horse through the flower-lined Chang'an Avenue.

People are prone to making mistakes when they are successful, and Zhang Pu was no exception.

Just before the Qionghua Banquet was to be held, Zhang Pu wrote a preface for Wu Weiye's collection of works, which caused a great uproar.

According to custom, when the articles of newly appointed scholars were printed, the tutor should write a preface to establish a student-teacher relationship and announce to the public that so-and-so is his student and will be a member of his official faction in the future.

Zhang Pu's decision to write a preface for his disciple Wu Weiye, disregarding convention, was undoubtedly an attempt to usurp Wu Weiye's position as his teacher. Strictly speaking, it was a denial of their teacher-student relationship.

Li Mingrui, as the master of the academy, felt extremely humiliated and threatened to strip Wu Weiye of his status as a disciple. He even skipped the Qionghua Banquet, feigning illness to avoid attending.

Zhu Youjian noticed at the Qionghua Banquet that Zhang Pu looked normal, but Wu Weiye didn't seem happy about passing the imperial examination with top honors, and there was even some distance between the teacher and student. Only after inquiring did he learn about this matter.

Having long desired to dismantle the bureaucratic network, he immediately smiled and said:

"I wonder why you've become estranged?"

"Meicun, you go first. Who taught you all your knowledge?"

Wu Weiye glanced at Zhang Pu, and although he was displeased that Zhang Pu had broken with convention and put him in an awkward position, he still respectfully said:
"The student's knowledge, apart from his first teacher, was all passed down by his mentor, Mr. Ximing."

"Mr. Zhang Ximing will always be my mentor."

Zhu Youjian clapped his hands in approval and addressed the newly appointed scholars:

"Listen to that, now that's more like it!"

"What is a mentor? A mentor is a teacher who imparts knowledge, teaches skills, and resolves doubts."

"What kind of teacher is a 'senior advisor'? They're just forming cliques!"

"You are all my disciples, why do you need a master or tutor?"

"From now on, the three-way avoidance method will also apply between teachers and students."

It explicitly rejects the concepts of "lecturer" and "room teacher," stipulating that only "professional teacher" is a legitimate teacher.

If someone insists on having multiple teachers, they should register them on their resume and avoid contact with these teachers.

According to the Ming Dynasty's system of avoiding conflict based on rank, the student would be at a significant disadvantage. (End of Chapter)